Labor unions slam alleged gov't move to ease 52-hour workweek rules for Gwangju chip cluster

South Korea's major labor unions have vociferously protested the government's rumored relaxation of the 52-hour workweek rule for a forthcoming semiconductor production hub in Gwangju, a southwestern metropolis. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions jointly issued a statement pledging to thwart the proposed special law that would exempt certain white-collar employees within the Gwangju cluster from the 52-hour workweek rule and introduce other labor deregulation provisions.

The labor unions subsequently requested a meeting with President Lee Jae Myung to deliberate on the matter.

The special law, purportedly disclosed by the labor ministry to select ruling party lawmakers last week, proposed to exempt managers and researchers among the top 3 percent of earners in the top-performing firms from the 52-hour workweek cap, along with overtime, night, and holiday work allowances. Instead, these high-performing workers would receive fixed allowances.

South Korea's 52-hour workweek law, enacted in 2018 to curb overwork, stipulates that overtime should be capped at 12 hours per week, thereby restricting the total workweek to 52 hours.

The labor unions vehemently denounced the relaxation of the 52-hour workweek as an anti-labor policy from the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration, and expressed bewilderment at the identical policy under the current Lee Jae Myung government. They vowed to engage in a confrontation with the government if it proceeds unilaterally with the special labor law, warning that negotiations between the government and the labor community would be challenging to resolve.

The labor ministry, however, contended that they had merely relayed various suggestions from the field and perspectives of different sectors, and the precise particulars of the special law were not yet finalized.